Latest Tweets

Daily Business Report — Sept. 21, 2011

Men Who Impact San Diego

SD METRO identified 20 “Women Who Rock” in our June publication. Now it’s the men’s turn. Send us your nomination for a man — no age requirement — who you believe has made San Diego a better place to live or to do business, or who has made significant contributions to his industry or community. Nominees can be in the private or public sector, own or work for a for-profit firm or a nonprofit. Of course you can nominate more than one person, but each one must be submitted individually. You’ll find a nomination form on our Website (sandiegometro.com). Deadline is Oct. 3. You’ll see the results in mid-October.

SANDAG Chief Appointed to Advisory Council

SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos has been appointed to a two-year term to represent California on the Marine Transportation System Advisory Council. The council provides advice and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation on how to improve the efficiency of America’s overall marine transportation system. The Secretary of Transportation will rely on the council to provide guidance on the development of a national freight policy and the integration of maritime interests into the overall transportation system. Council members are executives selected from leading carriers, shippers, port and waterway agencies, labor groups, academia, and federal, state, and local governments.

Hughes Marino Offering Free Services to Businesses

Hughes Marino, a commercial real estate company specializing in tenant representation, announced that it will provide businesses with free space availability surveys for all areas of San Diego. Surveys will be available for the entire county, for lease or purchase, and be segregated by Office, Industrial, Retail, Medical or Laboratory space. The surveys can be accessed at www.FreeSpaceSurvey.com.

“Occasionally, business owners and senior management are reluctant to commit to working with one particular broker in their early stages of space evaluation,” said Jason Hughes, president of the firm. “It is our desire to help educate decision makers about their space alternatives — without feeling pressure to work with anyone in particular.”

Hughes Marino has also started offering complimentary Lease Expiration Reminder Services as well as complimentary Tax Credit Evaluations as additional value-added benefits for clients and non-clients alike. The Lease Expiration Reminder Service allows business owners and senior management to input one or more lease expirations for one or more locations — and the Hughes Marino reminder service will automatically notify the owners at 24, 18, 12 and 6 month prior to their lease expiration. Hughes said that the inspiration came from a particular business owner thinking his lease expired a year later than reality — and the landlord gouged him as a result of not being educated on his options.

The free Tax Credit Evaluation is being provided as many business owners don’t know if they are located in the Enterprise Zone or not. “Many owners are simply unaware that they are located in the Enterprise Zone — or numerous other locations that allow for tax incentives — and we want to educate them on their potential tax credits and refund potential,” said Hughes.

Gafcon and SharePoint 360 Launch Youth Education Project

Gafcon Inc., a San Diego-based construction management and consulting firm, and sister company SharePoint360 have launched “Building Futures,” a new community involvement and philanthropic initiative focused on youth education and development. The new initiative will focus all philanthropic efforts on programs that prepare young people for successful futures through opportunities in education, leadership development, life skills training, work experience and mentorship. Gafcon and SharePoint360 have committed an initial $100,000 in cash contributions, in-kind donations and volunteer time to support community involvement efforts under Building Futures. The initiative will incorporate and build upon many of Gafcon and SharePoint360’s existing relationships with youth-serving charities, including Boys & Girls Clubs of East County Foundation, After-School All-Stars of Greater San Diego, San Diego Workforce Partnership and Pro Kids. Both companies also will provide financial contributions and pro-bono consulting services to support youth programs provided by the charity partners.

UCSD Scientists Honored with Innovator Awards

UCSD scientists John Chang and Nathan Gianneschi have been awarded New Innovator Awards from the National Institutes of Health for innovative research projects that have the potential for improving public health in the United States. Chang, an assistant professor of medicine, and Gianneschi, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are among 49 scientists nationwide to receive the award this year. “The awards are intended to catalyze giant leaps forward for any area of biomedical research, allowing investigators to go in entirely new directions,” said James Anderson, who heads the NIH’s High-Risk Research program.

John Chang

Chang and his research group will receive $2.3 million over the next five years from the agency to study the fundamental mechanisms by which cell fate is determined during immune responses against microbes. “Our overall goal is to gain a better understanding of how the immune system works in health and in disease,” he said. “Ultimately we hope that the insights gained from our studies can be used to improve vaccine strategies and develop new treatments for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic intestinal disorder.”

Nathan Gianneschi

Gianneschi and his group will receive $2.3 million over the next five years to conduct further research on their innovative new strategy for delivering molecules specifically to tumor tissue, while avoiding unwanted side-effects normally associated with chemotherapy. “We have developed a nanometer-scale particle capable of packaging drugs for transport through the blood stream, while avoiding accumulation in the liver,” he said. “These nanoparticles are essentially cloaking devices for manmade materials, such that the body does not recognize them until they strike their target. The hope is that these prototype systems can be developed, with the help of this generous NIH award, into a truly transformative and usable therapeutic strategy.”

Brookfield Homes President to Get USD Alumni Award

Steve Doyle

Steve Doyle, president of Brookfield Homes San Diego, will be honored as a Distinguished Alumni of University of San Diego School of Law at an awards luncheon Nov. 4 at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in Downtown San Diego. Doyle is a 1984 graduate. The award is presented to law school alumni who have distinguished themselves in the legal field or other chosen profession at an exemplary level and who embody the high ethical standards and commitment to community service USD School of Law seeks to instill in its graduates. Doyle has been president of Brookfield Homes since 1996. He is active with the San Diego County Building Industry Association, serving as president of the trade group in 2002. He also earned the Industry Professional of the Year Award in 2001. Doyle served as president of the California Building Industry Association in 2005.

Small Business Workshops

SCORE San Diego continues its series of small business workshops

For more information, call (619) 557-7272 or visit score-sandiego.org.

• Sept. 21 ­ Business Plan 201: How to Write a Winning Business Plan ­ 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $99, $109 at the door).

• Sept. 22 ­ How to Start a Nonprofit ­ 9 to 11:30 a.m. at The San Diego Foundation in Point Loma (2508 Historic Decatur Rd., #200, San Diego 92106; pre-paid registration $39, $49 at the door).

• Sept. 27 ­ Marketing and Contracting with State and Local Governments ­ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National University in Kearny Mesa (9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego 92123; pre-paid registration $69, $79 at the door).

Subscribe to Daily Business Report

Voice Your Opinion

We Want Your Opinions on San Diego’s Big Issues
In the coming months, Probosky Research (one of California’s leading opinion research firms) will continue its partnership with SD METRO to survey San Diego residents about topics of interest to our readers. We’d like to throw open the door for suggestions for topics. What do you want to know? What do you think you know, but aren’t sure? What are you certain you know, but want to prove it beyond doubt? Ideally, we’d like to see questions that have to do with public policy.
Some areas may include Mayor Filner’s first 100 days job performance, should the city be responsible for economic growth and the creation of new jobs, how important are infrastructure improvements to our daily lives (streets and bridges, etc.), how important is water independence, how satisfied are residents with public transit or how do city residents value Balboa Park and other open spaces? Do you believe the City Council should revive the Plaza de Panama plan for Balboa Park?
You can email Probolsky Research directly with your ideas: info@probolskyresearch.com